Former Sen. David Perdue is mulling a campaign to unseat Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in the 2022 Republican primary, sources confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Perdue was ousted in a Jan. 5 runoff, falling to now-Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, by a razor-thin margin. The Republican almost immediately removed himself from contention for a 2022 comeback against Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat who won Georgia’s other Senate seat by advancing to Washington in the second runoff election held Jan. 5. It was presumed Perdue was finished with campaign politics. But, recently, Perdue has been talking to Republican insiders about challenging Kemp.
The former senator has been making “lots of fundraising and grassroots calls,” a Republican insider in Georgia said Thursday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported news of Perdue’s interest in running against Kemp, which would be a major boon for former President Donald Trump, who has been searching for a prominent Republican to take on the governor. Trump blames Kemp for his loss to President Joe Biden in Georgia last November.
GLENN YOUNGKIN UP 4 POINTS OVER TERRY MCAULIFFE IN POLL
A Perdue confidant emphasized that the former senator, now 71 years old, has not made up his mind about mounting a gubernatorial bid. A GOP operative in Washington, regarding the possibility of a Perdue running against Kemp, said, “It’s real.”
In mid-August, Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio surveyed a hypothetical Kemp-Perdue matchup on behalf of Trump’s Save America PAC and found the incumbent governor leading 46% to 40%, with 14% undecided. Fabrizio said in an email that the poll makes clear that Perdue is a “strong potential candidate with President Trump’s endorsement,” while adding that “President Trump is encouraging him to run.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A Perdue run would no doubt satisfy Trump.
But many Georgia Republicans worry the no-doubt-contentious primary would tear the party asunder and threaten its grip on the governor’s mansion, even as Biden’s sliding job approval ratings and historical trends point to big gains for the GOP in the midterm elections.
